Calif: Thinking about the BART negotiations

It's late and some might think me mad but I was thinking more about the situation with the BART  negotiations. From what I can gather through the press, the BART management responded to the Union sides' concessionary offerings at the negotiating table by spitting in their faces and told them to bring more concessions next time.

I was thinking what I would be campaigning for if I was a member of one of the locals involved.  I would campaign among my co-workers/unionmembers for the union negotiators to walk away from the table; they are simply wasting their time there.  This should be decided at a mass meeting of all workers at BART no matter which union they belong to. The leadership of the locals have the ability to do this but they won't. But a leadership that does and recommends an alternative strategy and tactics that is supported by the membership would change the bosses' tone.*

The unions should announce in the media that the the remainder of the cooling off period will be used to prepare for a strike and to work on building solid links with transit users, other union members, the unorganized and our communities. Transit workers have a much better access to the public than most of us and an active membership can also communicate with transit users on a daily basis through literature and one on one.

The Unions should announce that the concessions already offered are being withdrawn and the management will hear about new proposals as soon as they have been drawn up and decided upon through mass meetings in conjunction with supporters, users of transit and community members.
The bosses don't need to know any more than that.

In the previous blog I raised some issues or demands that need to be raised and fought for. These are just my personal thoughts and it takes more than one person to develop a realistic plan in wartime. 

The bottom line is to overcome the obstacle in our own minds that society can't afford our needs so we can't win; that we only have one gear---reverse.  A first important step is starting from the position of what we need and what we have to do to win it. 

*This last sentence was added to the original.